copyright © Jedo Dre 2011

Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell

Chaos Theory



Rati ng:


Impact: Average

GAMEPLAY



The third in series, Splinter Cell Chaos theory is a spy thriller where the main character, Sam Fisher, is being sent to different corners of the world, where a political crisis has commenced or is about to commence. Staying in shadows and keeping things quiet, Sam must accomplish different objectives behind enemy lines, from gathering of intelligence to assassinations.


Chaos theory keeps the tradition of a stealth game. Anyone who played the previous parts in series can tell you that Rambo wouldn't survive a minute in Sam Fisher's environment. Thus the game is not for the unpatient. Most of the playing time will be spent sneaking past guards to reach the objective.


Though he is a spy, Sam is not the talkitive James Bond and doesn't work in a Gouchi suit in plain daylight. He is armed with all kind of lethal and less-lethal toys. Back in the game are the automatic rifle and the pistol. Although they are the only two firearms availible to Sam, their use varies highly and many modifications can be chosen by the player for his rifle. The modifications include gas grenades, sniper scopes, electric shockers that disable the enemies, sticky camera's that can be shot to get a closer view of something.


Besides the weapons, Sam is provided with many other useful gadgets. There's an optic cable with which Sam can look under doors into the next room. There are wall mines to kill patrolling or chasing enemies. There's a mic to listen to conversations in a distance. In short, there's an array of gadgets James Bond would be jelaous of.


The character movement in Chaos Theory is highly evolved, as the acrobatic aspects of the game are important for mission accomplishment. The scroll button on your mouse regulates the speed with which Sam will be moving. When opening doors the player is in control of the speed with which they can be opened. Also Sam can climb, walk along ledges, slide down, etc. When doing all of it, however, Sam is quite slow, which makes him very voulnarable for enemy fire. The huge amount of buttons required to control Sam isn't helping.


GRAPHICS


Graphically the game can provide some of the best eye candy. The game is able to make use the latest Shader 3.0 technology and supersampling. The shadows, therefore, are some of the most complicated you will ever see. And that's very useful in a game where the majority of time is spent during the night.


SOUND


Sound is certainly worth mentioning. There are many conversations between the many characters and all of them are a pleasure to listen to. Sam is, as before, voiced by the actor Michael Ironside and he does an outstanding job once again.


CONCLUSION


Chaos Theory follows the theme of the series and gets even more political than before. That's the reason why it might be a little too boring for a casual gamer. The graphics and sound are exelent. The controlls could use some tweaking, but generally Splinter Cell Choas Theory is a great stealth-based game.


Subjective notes


I loved this game. Stalth and politics is one of the best combinations for me in a game. I know that the game has received a lot of negative publicity because of a lack of ...feelings I guess. Aparently Sam is not involved in what he's doing enough. If you want a cheap Hollywood-tyle game, take something like Far Cry and leave the Splinter Cell to people like me.